Baelo Claudia – A Roman Archeological Site in Andalusia

There is Roman archeological site about 20 kilometers from Tarifa – Baelo Claudia.

Built in the 2nd Century before Christ, the city was know in the entire Roman Empire for the tuna fish industry. Only 400 years later the people abandoned Baelo Claudia because of earthquakes.

Another 500 years later, the Moors started to conquer Andalusia from here, which led the region to its most prosperous time.

The Highlights of Baelo Claudia

Baelo Claudia has three highlights: an aqueduct, a theater and a basilica.

You reach the outdoor area by crossing the museum which has a lot of information about life 2000 years ago and about the history of the place. The path is leading you directly to the aqueduct. It’s only one remaining of the three water systems that supplied the city with water.

After that the theater had a magical attraction to me although the path leads to the basilica first. The theater is in a pretty good condition und you get really close.

After that I walked in the direction of the sea. Baelo Claudia is located directly at the famous beach Bolonia. When I was there somebody was kiting along the beautiful beach.

Along the thermal bath the path leads you to the basilica. Inside there is a statue of the Roman Emperor Trajan, who ruled between 98 and 117. The statue is in an extremely good condition.

Enjoying the view

In the end I was sitting there simply enjoying the view on the sea. The ruins were mostly behind me, some of them in front of me and couldn’t help but watching the sea and think about how life must have been 2000 years back in time.

How was it to hang around in the thermal bath? What plays did they show in the theater? What did people think about the statue of their Emperor?

My Conclusion?

Baelo Claudia is a perfect get away for half a day from Tarifa. I was surprised how big and in what good condition the archeological site is. I had seen in the internet that EU citizens don’t pay for the entrance. So I didn’t expect it to be that beautiful.  In comparison to Baelo Claudia, Marsala was a joke!

The museum is decorated with affection and is interactive, so it’s really worth it to go there too!

So, Baelo Claudia: Thumps up! Or what do you think about it?